Pod Vader’s Podcast Awards Nominees

Here you go folks, these are my picks for the Podcast Awards. Feel free to take or leave my suggestions. In the end, it’s my ballot and opinion. And we all know what they say about opinions…

People’s Choice – ESPN Fantasy Focus: FootballReason: Because I worked on it for a majority of the year. In all seriousness, it’s very self-serving of me to nominate my show for the top podcast award and I would be humbly honored if you nominated it as well. The Worst Farewell Tour in History could have a perfect ending with a podcast award. Remember, this is it for this podcast as it will never exist again with Matthew, Nate, Stephania and myself. Secret Squirrel gets a pat on the back for his 2.5 months of service. I think we all know Serial will win this category anyways…

Best Produced – RadioLabReason: They should rename this category the RadioLab Award. There isn’t a single show that is better produced. I still spend too much of my time trying to figure out how they put all the sounds together to make such a compelling story. If you know of a better production, please let me know.

Business – The Livelihood ShowReason: Marcy Rosenbaum has a way of making the discussions feel so personable. It’s warm and inviting – the exact opposite of what I feel business really is. That’s what makes this podcast so good.

Comedy – Doug Loves MoviesReason: So many candidates in this category and I listen to all of them. But when I’m down and I really need a laugh, it’s Doug Loves Movies that I always find myself turning to. Realize I’m also trying to nominate all my favorite shows so picking the right category to get them all nominated in is difficult.

Cultural/Arts – The Yarn ThingReason: I just found this podcast as I was scanning through shows for my new job at BlogTalkRadio and you’ll be pleasantly surprised that this show is more than just yarn. The production quality is sound and Marly really knows how to spin a yarn (yeah, I went there with that pun. Couldn’t resist!)

Education – Grammar GirlReason: Another category that should just be renamed. Thought about one of the many different history podcasts here too, but in the end, Grammar Girl is all about the education. Some of those history podcasts are more about the entertainment. Not saying Grammar Girl isn’t entertaining…oh boy, I dug myself in a hole. Probably had some real bad syntax errors in here as well. Moving on…

Entertainment – Rob Has A PodcastReason: I like the reality TV shows. Rob podcasts about reality tv shows. He does a fantastic job and I couldn’t be more proud of the success he’s enjoyed recently. Despite what others might tell you, this show is definitely worth more than zero earbuds. It’s worth the whole dang iPod (or iPhone – whichever you prefer).

Food and Drink – Let’s Drink About ItReason: Another show I came across due to my new job responsibilities at BlogTalkRadio, but this one isn’t on our platform. It’s fantastic! The creative idea of linking an adult beverage to a meaningful point in life is simply brilliant. Try this one out. You won’t be sorry.

Gaming – Joystiq PodcastsReason: Another category with a high level of competition. Joystiq shows are entertaining and informative. That’s a good combination for any podcast.

Health and Fitness – 1, 2, Many: Veteran SuicideReason: Tim Lawson has put together a very important show on a difficult topic that can’t stay hidden in the shadows. Very honored that he brought this show to BlogTalkRadio and I applaud him on his efforts.

Mature – WTF with Marc MaronReason: Ok, I think the category is meant to be directed at other content than what I have nominated here. But think about it. Marc uses harsh language – it’s in the title of his show. He has grown-up, adult conversations with grown up adults. And the show has been around for a few years. It’s a mature talk show. (Plus, I already nominated other shows in People’s Choice, Comedy and General.)

Movies/Films – I Watch MikeReason: Mike is an entertaining guy who watches more than just movies. He watches tv shows and is all about the latest pop culture. But he does watch movies and that qualifies him for this category.

Podsafe Music – CovervilleReason: Brian Ibbott consistently puts together the best podcast about cover songs ever. There isn’t a better music podcast out there and considering how difficult it is to feature music in downloadable content, makes this award one of the toughest to get. Period. This is another category that should be renamed for a show.

Politics/News – No AgendaReason: It’s the best podcast in the universe, hosted by the Podfather himself, Adam Curry and the great, John C. Dvorak. You can learn a lot about podcasting from listening to this show. I know I have.

Religion Inspiration – The Thinking AtheistReason: A super well done show that gets right to the heart of the matter. I understand atheism isn’t really a religion and I suppose you could say it’s anti-religion, but atheism shows have been nominated in this category before and I’m nominating Seth’s program here.

Sports – ESPN Fantasy Focus: FootballReason: If you disagree with me about being the best podcast overall in the People’s Choice category, it’s tough to say this isn’t the best sports podcast in the world. Plus, this show has won 6 awards. Getting a 7th award would be great but getting an 8th would be for Nate. #TheWorstFarewellTourEver

Technology – TWiTReason: Leo Laporte is a future hall of famer, if he isn’t inducted this year. Another category that should be renamed for the show.

Travel – WDW RadioReason: We should really consider re-naming these categories for shows that deserve the recognition. This show dominates the category. Period.

So those are my nominations. I’m sure you’ll disagree with some of my nods and that’s ok. As I said at the beginning of this process, we all have opinions. These are the shows that I feel most deserve recognition for 2014.